When I first had the idea for this sweet potato pie, I was trying to create a dessert that I could eat at Thanksgiving that would be good enough to keep me away from the more traditional desserts, but without sending my blood sugar spiraling.

I thought it would just be a plain kind of “dessert stand-in” and was completely surprised when my five-year old nephew gobbled it up. Since then, I have made it for several family occasions and so far everyone has liked it.

This sweet potato pie is sweetened with maple syrup. I added a little more maple syrup this time around to give it a really nice flavor, but you can reduce it again and the pie will still be sweet. The crust is a simple oat nut crust and gluten-free if you can find the right oats. The sweet potatoes get boiled and then puréed. That’s it! It’s super simple to make and yields a pretty and delicious pie.

Sweet Potato Pie with Oat Pecan Crust

Crust
1 1/2 cups thick or regular rolled oats (not quick or instant)(get gluten-free variety if needed)
1 cup toasted pecans
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp neutral flavored oil or nut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt

Filling
2# sweet potatoes (the light colored ones), peeled
a few pinches of sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

1.  Turn oven to 350°.

2.  In a food processor, blend the oats and 1/2 cup pecans until about 80% ground. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until it starts coming together. Remove to a bowl. Add the other 1/2 cup pecans to the processor and process until they are chopped, but not ground. Add this to the same bowl and combine.

3.  Pour the crust mixture into an 8″ glass pie dish. Press mixture evenly on bottom and sides. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

4.  While the crust is baking, make the filling. Cut sweet potato into even size chunks. Boil the sweet potato in a pot with a few pinches of sea salt and about 1″ water. Simmer until soft. Drain and cool. Save the cooking liquid.

5.  When sweet potatoes are cool enough for your food processor, purée them with the rest of the filling ingredients. Taste and add a little more sea salt or maple syrup if desired. The sweet potatoes probably won’t need any of the cooking liquid, but you can add a tablespoon or two if necessary. Try to keep the filling really thick, though, so the pie will hold its shape when finished.

6.  Spread the filling into the prepared crust. Let sit for a few hours until firm enough to cut.

7.  Keep refrigerated.